Treasure Planet: One Love
by Raven in Red
Summary: On his adventure to discover the Treasure of Captain Flint, young Jim Hawkins meets a pretty girl named Lia, and they develop a strong relationship. Will this be the one chance for them to find true love? JimOC
1. Jim

**Treasure Planet: One Love  
**

**Chapter One: **Jim

I sat in the rigging, taking calm breaths and feeling the light breeze blow through my hair. Long and very black, it never cooperated in a ponytail, so I just left it down. It was getting in my eyes. I angrily gathered the clumps into my hands and forced them behind my head and into a hair band. That's when I saw him.

He was so handsome. He would have been a couple inches taller than me, maybe a little more. Half his hair was cropped into messy bangs that swayed back and forth across his brown eyes. The other half was gathered into a thin braid. A little gold hoop adorned his left earlobe.

A few minutes later, I saw Captain Amelia introducing herself to the boy, and a man wearing a weird yellow space suit. Amelia beckoned for me to come over. I quickly jumped down and stood beside her. She and I had been close friends for almost as long as I could remember. She had practically raised me, ever since my mother died.

The boy gave me a little smile when our eyes met. I smiled back.

Amelia moved to the man wearing the space suit and squinted.

"Ah…Dr. Delbert Doppler, I presume," she said. "I'm Captain Amelia, late of a few run-ins with the Protan Armada, nasty business, but I won't bore you with my scars. You've met my first officer, Mr. Arrow," she gestured at the first mate, who was tall and wore a bright red-and-gold uniform.

Then she gestured to me. "This is Lia," she said, nudging me forward a little. "She works aboard the ship."

Delbert cleared his throat, "Excuse me, I hate to interrupt, but may I introduce to you Jim Hawkins?" I smiled when I heard his name. "Jim, you see, is the boy found the treasure m-"

"Doctor, please!" Amelia cut him off by forcing his mouth shut. "I'd like a word with you in my stateroom."

Once the door was locked in Amelia's stateroom, she began, "Doctor, to muse and blabber about a treasure map in front of this particular crew demonstrates a level of ineptitude, which borders on the imbecilic, and I mean that in a very caring way."

"Imbecilic, did you say? Foolishness, I-" Delbert began.

"May I see the map, please?" Amelia cut him off.

Jim reluctantly pulled a gold sphere out of his jacket pocket and tossed it to the Captain. She looked at it with interest in her eyes, and then locked it into a cabinet.

"Mr. Hawkins, in the future, you will address me as Captain or Ma'am. Is that clear?" Amelia glared at Jim. When he didn't answer, she put on a threatening tone, "Mr. Hawkins…"

"Yes, Ma'am," Jim replied.

"That'll do," she said. "Gentlemen, this must be kept under lock and key when not in use, and Doctor, again, with the greatest possible respect…zip your howling screamer!"

"Captain," Delbert looked noble, "I assure you I will-"

"Let me make this as…monosyllabic as possible: I…don't much care for this crew _you_ hired. They are…how did I describe them, Arrow? I said something rather good this morning before coffee."

Arrow replied, "A ludicrous parcel of driveling galloots, Ma'am," he tipped his hat.

"There you go, poetry," Amelia smiled.

"Now, see here-" Delbert said angrily.

"Doctor, I'd love to chat," Amelia cut him off yet again, "Tea, cake, the whole shebang, but I have a ship to launch, and you've got your outfit to buff up."

"Mr. Arrow and Miss Lia, please escort these two neophytes down to the galley straightaway. Young Hawkins will be working for our cook, Mr. Silver."

"W-what, the cook?!" Jim blurted out in surprise.

Without another word, Arrow and I led Jim and Delbert down to the galley, where Silver worked. Silver was a good friend of mine. As soon as he saw me approaching, he swept into a deep bow. I quickly spoke up,

"I was just here to escort them. I'll be out on deck, watching the launch." I left quickly, being careful not to glance back at Jim.

When I got back on deck, I immediately went up to the rigging and climbed up. The ship would be launching soon, and I wanted to enjoy every minute of it. All of a sudden, however, my foot slipped through the rope and I fell. I thought I would hit the deck, but I felt a pair of hands clamp around my waist, keeping me steady. I turned around and saw Jim, grinning handsomely.

"Are you alright…Lia?" He laughed a little and let go of my waist.

I laughed and smiled as well, "Yes, I am alright. Thank you, Jim." I immediately stepped back and leaned on the railing.

Soon, we heard Mr. Arrow shout, "All hands to stations!"

The crew all climbed up the rigging and up to the sails, where they undid them so they were opened up.

After a few minutes, the air felt lighter. We were all lifted off the ground. Laughing, Jim and I took each other's hands to prevent getting separated. We were both smiling stupidly at each other. It made me feel free. Then, the gravity came back, very suddenly. Jim fell first, but he still held onto my hands. He caught me with both his arms around my waist. Laughing, we both stepped back. Then I got a devious smirk on my face. I turned around and took off running, right up to the rigging. He followed closely after me. I climbed higher, until I felt a light tug on my hand. I didn't realize that Jim had been climbing right next to me, and I had never seen him.

"This is fun," I observed with a laugh. Then I swung around the other side of the ropes and slid down, landing on the deck. The ship had taken full speed, and I could feel the wind whipping through my hair. It was a very beautiful feeling.

Eventually, I turned around and saw Jim holding a mop and bucket. He set the bucket down angrily and began cleaning the deck. I leaned on the railing and watched him, since I didn't really want to talk to him when he looked so angry.

Then I saw some of the crew huddled around a barrel, whispering suspiciously. They stopped suddenly when they saw Jim eyeing them.

"What're you looking at, weirdo?" one of them asked. Then the creature's head walked off its shoulders and a mouth appeared in its belly. "Yeah…weirdo…" the torso replied.

Then I heard a hissing sound coming from the rigging above me. I spun around and saw Scroop, the hissing spider-alien member of the crew. He was ugly, scary, and mean. I knew right away that I didn't like him. He was advancing on Jim.

"Cabin boys should learn to mind their own…business." He stepped right up so that his face was inches from Jim's. I felt a twinge of fear in my heart.

Jim smirked, "Why, you got something to hide, bright eyes?" I wanted to slap Jim for being so stupid.

Scroop growled and lifted Jim into the air by his shirt collar. Instinctively I ran up and grabbed at his grimy red claw, trying to get him to drop Jim, but he just whacked at me until I backed off. "Maybe your ears don't work so well," he growled at Jim.

"Yeah, too bad my nose works just fine," Jim replied.

Scroop's eyes narrowed into thin slits, "Why, you impudent little…" He immediately shoved Jim into the mast. I gave a little scream of terror. The crew was gathered around Scroop, cheering and shouting. Scroop raised his claw to Jim's throat. I gasped. "Any last words…cabin boy?" Scroop hissed. Jim looked over at me. Our eyes met for a second. Then Silver, with his cyborg arm, grabbed Scroop's claw and lowered it away from Jim's neck.

"Mr. Scroop," he began, "You ever see what happens to a fresh purp…when you squeeze real HARD?" At that moment, he squeezed as hard on Scroop's claw as he could. Scroop immediately dropped Jim to the deck. I ran over and kneeled beside him.

"Jim, are you alright?" I whispered with panic in my voice.

He gave a little smile up at me, then winced in pain and grabbed his shoulder. "Jim!" I gasped. He smiled again and laughed.

"Lia…you worry too much. I'm fine." He stood up just as Arrow was addressing the crew.

"You know the rules," Arrow sounded very angry. "There'll be no brawling on this ship. Any further offenders will be confined to the brig for the remainder of the voyage." He turned to Jim's attacker. "Am I clear, Mr. Scroop?"

Scroop replied reluctantly, "Transparently…"

The crew began to disperse. "Well done, Mr. Arrow, sir!" Silver said. "A tight ship's a happy ship, sir!" He angrily picked up the mop.

"Jimbo, I gave you a job!"

Jim began to protest, "Hey, I was doing it until that bug thing-"

"BELAY THAT!" Silver cut him off and threw the mop into his hands. "Now, I want this deck swabbed spotless, and Heaven help you if I come back and it's not done!" He looked over at Morph, the little floating pink blob who could transform himself into anything. "Morph, keep an eye on this pup. Let me know if there are any more distractions." Then he looked at me. "You keep an eye on him, too." I was starting to protest when he angrily walked away.

I sighed and looked over at Jim. He was smirking at me a little bit. Then he got to work.

"So, Jim…" I started. Jim looked up but kept mopping. "What brought you here?"

He looked around to make sure no one was watching. He stepped closer and whispered, "What I'm about to tell you is secret. You can't tell anyone. Amelia and Delbert already know about it, but you can't tell ANYONE else. Okay?" he sounded urgent.

I nodded vigorously. He looked relieved. He lowered his voice to an even quieter whisper, and I had to lean in to hear him. His warm breath tickled my ear,

"Okay, a few days ago, I found an odd golden sphere, and when I opened it, it turned out to be a treasure map. It's going to lead us to the largest treasure in the galaxy. It's known as the loot of a thousand worlds." Jim looked excited when he finished. I was awestruck. I leaned in again so I could whisper to him,

"Are we really going out looking for treasure?" I couldn't hide the excitement in my voice.

Jim smiled and nodded. I gasped in surprise. We both started laughing. Then he started mopping again.

"So, tell me about you," he said while mopping. "I haven't heard anything about you yet."

I though a while before beginning, "I don't know where to begin. Ask me a question."

"Okay," he replied. There was a long pause. "Well, I actually don't know what to ask. I'm bad at this kind of stuff." We both laughed a little.

He continued with his mopping. "You seem like a very interesting boy, Jim," I mused as I watched his braid dance back and forth with his movements. He shrugged and replied, "There really isn't anything very interesting about me."

I contradicted, "I can see determination in your eyes, Jim. And you were brave to stand up to Scroop like that."

He looked up at me and gave a tired smile. Then I yawned. He laughed, "Hmm, you might want to be heading off to bed." I laughed and replied, "Yeah, I guess so."

He smiled. "Good night, Lia," he said.

"Good night, Jim," I replied to my new friend.


	2. A Need for Each Other

**Chapter Two:** A Need for Each Other

My cabin on the RLS Legacy was small, but comfortable, and it adjoined the captain's stateroom. I knew that Jim would be sleeping down in the crew's quarters, in a hammock, when I got an actual bed. I felt a little sorry for him.

When I pushed myself out of bed the next morning, I didn't hear any voices out on deck. It must be pretty early, I decided. Oh, well. Since I was already awake, I got dressed. From my small trunk, I picked out a baggy red shirt and brown pants. I tucked the pant legs into my inch-heeled boots and laced the boots tightly along my calves. Then I buttoned a fitted black vest over my shirt. Then I moved on to my hair.

My hair, while being a beautiful jet black, was a deathtrap in the morning. I always got terrible bed head. It always took me up to half an hour to brush it and untangle all the knots that formed. Before my mother had died, she had always pressured me to cut my hair shorter. I always refused, saying that long hair felt better blowing in the wind than short hair. Once she even tried to cut my hair while I was sleeping, but the scissor blades accidentally nicked my neck, and I woke up before she had even cut anything off. After about ten minutes of screaming and crying, she left me alone. I was only nine back then. Now, as a sixteen-year-old, I could make my own decisions. I was going to keep my long hair as all costs.

After working through all the knots and tangles, I gathered my hair back into a high ponytail. The first few days of a voyage were always full of chores, and I wanted my hair out of the way.

When I was finally ready, I stepped out on deck. I was surprised to see Jim in my usual spot in the rigging. I climbed up and sat beside him.

"Good morning," I said politely.

"Hey, Lia," Jim replied. I loved when he said my name. I reached out and tousled his hair.

"Did you sleep well?" I asked with a smile.

"Not well at all," he sighed. "The rest of the crew all snore."

I laughed a little. Again, I felt sorry for him. Then I heard Jim sigh again.

"Is something wrong?" I asked carefully.

He groaned, "Silver is making me do chores every single day. He says he has to 'pound some skills into my thick head to keep me out of trouble'. He's making me feel completely worthless. I _am _worthless."

He sadly lowered his head. I calmly said to him,

"Jim, get that stupid idea out of your head right now. You are _not_ worthless. You're my friend, Jim. And you are already very special to me. I don't want you to be upset." For a little while, we just smiled at each other. Then we heard Silver's loud voice shouting from the galley,

"Jimbo, get down here! I've got some work for you!"

Jim groaned loudly and slid down from the rigging. Without another word, he stalked down to the galley.

Day after day, I followed the same routine: wake up, wrestle with my unruly hair, talk to Jim for a little while, and sulk around the ship all day, until the evening, when Jim was done with his chores. It wasn't until one particular night, when everything changed.

I was enjoying the warm night breeze out on deck, when suddenly I felt the ship being thrown off course. I went crashing into the railing, getting bruised all over my chest. The wind was knocked out of me.

"What the devil…" Silver was coming up on deck, followed by Jim.

"Good heavens, the star Pellusa: it's gone SUPERNOVA!" Delbert shouted from the helm. I looked out to see a giant, fiery explosion. I felt a huge wave of heat.

"Evasive action, Mr. Turnbuckle!" Amelia shouted, running up to the helm.

The crew member at the helm began steering the ship away from the explosion.

"All hands fasten your lifelines!" Arrow shouted to the crew. Everyone immediately ran to the mast, where several small poles were attached. Each person grabbed a long rope, tied it around their waist, and then tied it to one of the poles. Once Jim had tied his, he grabbed another rope and tied it around my waist.

Pieces of the star were flying everywhere, some striking through the sails, puncturing holes in them.

"Mr. Arrow, secure those sails!" shouted Amelia.

"Secure all sails!" Arrow shouted.

As quickly as I could, I jumped up into the rigging, climbing up to one of the sail masts. Along with two other crew members, we pulled and tugged at various ropes until the sails were all secured around the masts. Once that was done, I jumped down, landing hard on the deck. I looked out at the star. It was coming towards the ship. I could feel the unbearable heat. My head was pounding, and sweat exploded from every pore in my body. I couldn't take it any longer. Just as I was about to pass out, the heat began to cool down.

The star was falling away from the ship, being sucked down towards something.

"Captain, the star," shouted a crew member.

"It's devolving into a…a black hole!" Delbert gasped.

"We're being pulled in!" Turnbuckle shouted. Amelia quickly took over the wheel.

Suddenly, a large wave of fire came out of the abyss, engulfing the ship.

"Blast these waves, they're so deucedly erratic!" Amelia was frustrated.

"No, Captain," Delbert cut in. "They're not erratic at all! There'll be one more in precisely 47.2 seconds, followed by the biggest magilla of them all!"

"Of course, brilliant, Doctor! We'll ride that last magilla out of here!" Amelia got a sudden flash of inspiration.

"All sales secured, captain!" Arrow said.

"Good man, now release them immediately!" Amelia replied.

"Aye, captain," Arrow sounded confused, "You heard her, men! Unfurl those sails!"

The frustrated crew began letting the sails out. Then Amelia called out,

"Mr. Hawkins and Miss Lia, make sure all lifelines are secured good and tight!"

"Aye-aye, captain," we both replied.

We ran over to the lifeline posts. We pulled and tugged at each one until they were as tight as possible. On the last one, Jim shouted, "Lifelines secured, captain!"

"Very good!" Amelia replied. Then another wave came up, knocking Amelia away from the ship's wheel and throwing me into Jim's arms. He held me tightly and protectively. My face was buried in his neck. I was scared to death.

Then we heard Amelia call out, "Hold onto your lifelines, gents, it's gonna be a bumpy ride!"

Jim pulled me over to the mast, holding on to me with one arm and the mast with the other. Silver's cyborg arm was around both of us, securing us to the mast. I clamped my eyes shut and held onto Jim for dear life.

Then, there was a boom. Air rushed around us. The ship exploded into life. We were blasting out of the black hole.

When it was safe, Jim slowly let go of me. Tears were flooding my eyes. He gave a little gasping cry and pulled me into his arms again. He hugged me as tight as he could, obviously not wanting to let go of me. When he finally decided to let go of me again, we joined the crowd forming around Amelia.

"Well, I must congratulate you, Mr. Silver. It seems your cabin boy and Lia did a bang-up job with those lifelines!"

Jim and I exchanged a smile.

"All hands accounted for, Mr. Arrow?" Amelia called out, but got no response. "Mr. Arrow?"

We heard a hiss, and the crowd parted so Scroop could approach the captain. "I'm afraid…Mr. Arrow has been lost." He handed Arrow's hat to the captain. "His lifeline was not secured."

Everyone looked at Jim and me.

"No," I shouted, "We checked them all!"

Jim and I both ran over to the lifeline posts, and sure enough, one was missing. My heart sank. Jim gasped out,

"We-we did, we checked them all, and they were secure." He looked back up at the captain. "I swear!"

Amelia glared at us. Then she addressed the crew, "Mr. Arrow was a…" she cleared her throat, "…Fine spacer, finer than most of us…would ever hope to be. But he knew the risks, as do we all. Resume your posts. We carry on."

Crying, I ran off to the stern, where none of the crew would be. I dropped to my knees and openly sobbed. I was responsible for a good man's death. I had killed a man with my ignorance. I couldn't stop crying.

Soon, I felt a pair of arms pulling me up so I was standing. I saw Jim, crying as well.

"Lia," he said shakily.

"Oh, Jim!" I cried, falling into his arms. His tears soaked into my shirt, and mine soaked into his, but neither of us cared. We just held each other as tightly as we could, crying together. When we separated, my hands were resting back on the railing, and his arms were coiled around my waist. He leaned in a little.

Our lips were so close. He was leaning closer. I tilted my head a little. He whispered in my ear, "Lia, I need you."

Then I moved my head back so I was looking into his eyes. We didn't hesitate. Our lips pressed together, lightly at first. Then he pressed a little harder, deepening the kiss. His arms moved a little farther up my back; his fingers dug gently into my spine. My hands rested over his chest. I felt his erratic heartbeat. Our tears mixed together as our faces pressed together. Only when my lungs were begging for air did our lips part. While I took slow and deep breaths, Jim kissed my neck a few times, and then both my cheeks, and then his lips found mine once again. We had stopped crying. We hadn't spoken in several minutes. There was no need for words. We just needed each other, and the sweet message conveyed by our kisses.

After another long minute, we separated again. My arms were around his neck, and his had moved back down to my waist. Our chests were heaving and our hearts were erratic, and we couldn't speak since we were gasping so much, but we managed to hold on to each other. We were staring into each other's eyes. When we were finally breathing normally, we took turns pecking each other's lips. We didn't want to stop. I loved the feeling of his lips so much, and he must have loved the feeling of mine.

After several more minutes, I rested my head on Jim's shoulder. I was tired. His arms wrapped around me protectively. Then our fingers laced together, and we were looking into each other's eyes. I sighed happily,

"Thank you, Jim," I said, grinning widely. He placed a small kiss on my forehead.

"Thank you, Lia," he replied, hugging me again.

"Jim?" I said, releasing myself from his hug and looking up at him. "I need to go to bed now. I'm really tired."

He replied, "Okay," and welcomed me into another long kiss. When we pulled apart, I gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He replied with a kiss on my forehead. Then I whispered,

"Good night, Jim."

He smiled, "Good night, Lia."


	3. Treasure Planet

**Chapter Three:** Treasure Planet

The next morning, after I was dressed and my hair was brushed, I headed down to the galley to find something to eat. As I was crossing the main deck, I saw Jim chasing Morph. Laughing, I chased after them. Eventually, Jim dove down into the purp barrel in the galley. I was about to jump in after him when I heard voices.

I heard the crew coming down the stairs. I quickly hid behind the barrel.

"What we're saying here is we're sick of all this waiting," a female voice said.

"There's only four of them left," said a male voice.

"We are wanting to move!" said another.

"Don't move till we've got the treasure in hand!" My eyebrows knit together in confusion when I heard Silver's voice.

"I say we kill 'em all now," said Scroop.

"I say what's to say!" Silver growled. "Disobey my orders again, like that stunt you pulled with Mr. Arrow, and so help me, you'll be JOINING HIM!" There was a crash as Scroop was thrown at the barrel. My head painfully collided with the side of the barrel.

"Strong talk," growled Scroop, "But I know otherwise." He reached down into the barrel. I pressed my mouth into my hand to avoid gasping. I breathed a silent sigh of relief when he brought out a purp. "It's that boy," he hissed. He punctured a small hole into the juicy purple fruit. "Methinks you have a soft…spot for him."

The crew began to murmur. "Now, mark me…the lot of ya!" growled Silver. "I care about one thing and one thing only: Flint's trove! Do you think I'd risk it all for the sake of some nose-wiping little whelp?" Scroop started to say something. "Shut yer yap!" Silver cut him off. "I cozied up to that kid to keep him off our scent…but I ain't gone soft."

"PLANET HO!" a shout came from up on deck. The whole crew, cheering, stormed out of the galley. When everything fell silent, I let go of Morph and climbed out from behind the barrel. Jim didn't look at me as he climbed out. I burst into quiet, shaky sobs. Jim took me into his arms, holding my head to his chest. I cried until I was out of tears, and then lifted my head so I could look into my boyfriend's eyes.

"Jim…Jim…" I moaned, lowering my head. He cupped my chin in his hand and brought my face back up. "They're going to kill us!" I gasped.

"No," Jim said firmly. "No one hurts my girl without getting through me first." Without another word, he brought his lips down to mine in a sweet, tender kiss. It only lasted for about a second, but it made me feel a little safer. Then we heard Silver coming down the stairs. Jim and I glared hard at him while he advanced on us.

"Playing games, are we?"

"Yeah," I replied. "Yeah, we're playing games."

"Oh, I see," said Silver, "Well, I was…never much good at games. I always hated to lose."

I glanced out of the corner of my eye and saw that Jim had picked up a knife that was lying on the table.

"Hmm," he said, "Me too!" He dashed forward, stabbing the knife into the air pump on Silver's cyborg leg. Grabbing my hand, he ran out on deck. He was running straight for the captain's cabin. However, my hand slipped from his, and I tripped, falling face-first onto the hard deck. I tried not to cry in pain as two pirates pulled me to my feet. They dragged me down to the longboat station. I saw Amelia and Delbert on one of the longboats. _Where was Jim?_ I spotted him chasing after Morph, who had the gold sphere map in his mouth. The pirates let go of me so they could shoot at Amelia and Delbert. I ran towards Jim as fast as I could, but a pirate reached out and tripped me. I fell, crashing into Amelia's boat. I grabbed the railing and held on as tightly as I could. Soon, I felt the longboat cables break, and the boat was falling out of the ship. I looked over and gasped in relief when I saw Jim next to me, clutching the railing as well. Delbert pulled Jim into the boat, and then Jim helped me get in. It took me a while to get over the shock. I sighed and fell into Jim's arms, lacing my fingers in his and refusing to let go.

Suddenly, a cannonball from the ship exploded into the mast, breaking the boat in half. We had lost the half with the engine, and we were plummeting down towards the ground. I held on to Jim for dear life. He kissed me right next to my ear. His warm breath was the last thing I felt before we crashed.

I opened my eyes and saw Jim kneeling next to me. He stroked my face and smiled. Then I heard Amelia say,

"Mr. Hawkins, scout ahead." She handed Jim a pistol. Then I stood up.

"I'm going with him." I stated firmly.

Amelia shook her head. She pointed in the opposite direction, "Go check out that way." She handed me a pistol as well. Then she fell over and leaned against the broken boat. She was obviously in pain. I saw Jim walking off into the woods. I ran after him and jumped into his arms, hugging him as tightly as I could.

"Be careful out there," I said, kissing his cheek quickly. He smiled and walked off, leaving me to go off in the opposite direction.

I walked quietly, just in case there were pirates or dangerous creatures lurking around.

Once I thought I was completely safe, I heard a large group of footsteps. There were people (or pirates) coming. I looked around for a place to hide, eventually finding a trapdoor covered with moss next to a big tree. I heaved it open and climbed down, huddling down in a corner. The metal floor was cold, but I was too scared to really notice. Above the ground, I could hear voices. They were oddly familiar. The voices belonged to the pirates from the Legacy. I heard a fire crackling. My hiding place was dark, so I couldn't tell if it was still day or if night had fallen.

To my surprise, a few hours later, I heard more voices, and two figures emerged from a passageway under the trapdoor. I gasped and tried to back off, but I just ran into the wall.

Then a soft hand pressed over my mouth.

"Shh, it's me," I heard a calm voice. I reached out and my hand came in contact with a person's skin. I moved my hand downward, feeling the contours of the boy's face, eventually stopping my hand over his heart.

"Jim?" I gasped in surprise. I didn't wait for an answer. I threw my arms joyfully around his neck and squeezed. He hugged me back, his fingers digging into my spine. When we let go, he reached down into the passageway and pulled a rusty and very old robot up into the little space. The robot's eyes lit up the area, so I could see Jim's face clearly. He looked over at the robot.

"Lia, this is Ben," he said. The robot smiled over at me and opened his mouth to say something, but Jim glared at him. He stayed quiet.

Jim took my hand and pushed open the trapdoor. We looked out at the camp the pirates had set up. They were all asleep, but the fire was still going.

"So what's the plan?" Ben shouted, popping up through the trapdoor between Jim and me.

"Ben, shh!" Jim held his mouth shut. Luckily, none of the pirates woke up. "Okay, here it is: we sneak back to the Legacy, disable the laser cannons, and bring back the map."

"That's a good plan," Ben said through his muffled mouth, "I like that plan. The only thing is, I'm wondering…how do we get there?"

"On that…" Jim pointed up at the longboat the pirates had used. It was floating up in the air, with a rope restraining it to a tree. Jim and Ben and I climbed up through the trapdoor. We crept slowly and quietly past the pirates, being careful not to make a sound or any sudden movements. When we got over to the boat, Jim and I took the rope, carefully pulling the longboat down towards us. When it was low enough, we all climbed in, Jim started the motor, and we flew off towards the ship.

When we got there and went down below deck, Jim said to Ben, "Ok, I'll get the map; you wait here."

"Roger, Jimmy," said Ben. "I'll neutralize laser cannons, SIR!" Then he took off towards the control room. Jim and I, holding our pistols out, crept quietly down to the longboat station. Jim led me to a pile of rope. He pulled the ropes away until he found the map. I picked up the gold sphere and tucked it safely into the pocket in my jacket, which I tied closed.

Then we heard a blaring alarm. Jim grabbed my hand and we ran back to the stairs.

"That stupid robot's gonna get us all…" Jim stopped dead when he saw Scroop.

"…Killed," I finished.

"Cabin boy," Scroop hissed.

Jim and I gasped and began running back down the stairs. We ran down through the ship, knocking over barrels as we went, so Scroop wouldn't be able to catch us. Finally, we managed to hide in a corner. We loaded our pistols silently and jumped back out in front of Scroop. He stopped dead in his tracks.

Then, suddenly, the lights went out.

I couldn't see a thing. I couldn't even find Jim's hand to hold.

Then the lights came back on. I breathed a sigh of relief. Then we heard a voice behind us.

I turned around as fast as I could. Scroop reached out with one of his nasty claws and shoved Jim across the room. He pinned him down to the floor. I tried to pull Scroop's claws away from him, but he jabbed me in my shoulder, drawing quite a bit of blood. I quickly tore the lining out of my vest and clamped it over my wound to stop the bleeding.

Then I felt myself being lifted into the air.

There was no gravity.

Scroop and Jim crashed through the hatchway, so that they were floating above the deck. I screamed when I saw Jim floating up towards the ship's flag. I grabbed onto one of the lifeline posts at the bottom of the mast and held on as tightly as I could.

I sighed with relief when Jim managed to grab onto the flag. Then I saw Scroop climbing up the mast, towards Jim. He reached out with one nasty claw and began to saw through the rope. I screamed again. Then Jim kicked off from the mast and shoved Scroop away from the rope. He managed to kick himself down to me. We held each other protectively, and as tightly as we could, until the gravity came back.

When we were back on the ground, I sighed tiredly and dropped myself into Jim's arms. He welcomed me into a very long, protective embrace. I knew everything was going to be alright.


	4. The Treasure

**Chapter Four: The Treasure**

Once we got back to Ben's house, where Jim and Amelia and Delbert were hiding, I handed Jim the map, and we hurried over to where Delbert was sleeping.

"Doc, Doc, wake up," Jim said excitedly. "I've got the map!"

Silver's cyborg hand reached out and took the map. "Fine work, Jimbo. Fine work indeed."

Through the dim light in the room, I could see the other pirates surrounding us. Jim and I tried to run, but we were grabbed and restrained. I fought to free myself, but I was just held tighter. Silver laughed evilly.

"You're just like me, Jimbo. You hate to lose." He then tried to open the map. After several tries, he thrust it at Jim, who was released by the pirates. "Open it!" Silver commanded. Jim just glared at him. Then Silver switched his cyborg hand for a pistol, cocked it, and aimed it at my head. Jim gasped, and I saw fear in his eyes.

"I'd get busy," Silver said in a low voice.

"Jim, just do it," I said, annoyed.

Jim reluctantly pushed a few buttons and twisted the sphere a few times. Then a long green webbed line emerged from the map, shooting itself out in the distance, leaving a long trail.

"Tie him up," Silver said, "And leave him with the others until we-"

He was cut off when Jim closed the map.

"If you want the map," Jim said, "You're taking me, too."

Silver looked at each one of us hostages before agreeing, "We'll take 'em all!"

Later that morning, we were all in the pirates' longboat, heading off in the direction of the map. Jim was up at the front with Silver, and I was in the middle with Amelia and Doppler.

When we stopped the boat, Jim jumped down and reached up to help me.

"Oh, no you don't," Silver growled, pulling Jim away.

"No!" I shouted, jumping down off the boat. Jim protectively stood in front of me.

"She's coming, too," Jim said with an edge in his voice.

"Alright, fine," Silver turned and led the group off towards the light.

I clasped Jim's hand, not wanting to be separated from him. He patted me on the shoulder and gave me a beautiful smile. I began to feel safer.

Then Silver called out, "We're getting close, lads! I smell treasure a-waiting!" He used his cyborg sword to slice through the thick reeds that stood in front of us. He grabbed Jim by his shirt collar and pulled him forward.

What we found was a tall, empty cliff…

…but no treasure.

"I see nothing!" one of the pirates said angrily, "One great big stinking hunk of nothing!"

All of a sudden, the green line disappeared and the map locked.

"What's going on, Jimbo?" Silver asked angrily.

"I don't know," Jim was frustrated. He tried to open the map, "I can't get it open!"

"We shoulda never followed this boy!" A pirate kicked him to the ground. I kneeled down next to him.

"I'd suggest you get that gizmo going again, and fast!" Silver shouted.

"Let's rip his gizzard right out, right now!" Turnbuckle growled.

"Throw him over cliff!" the first pirate shouted.

Then I saw Jim shove the map into a small indent in the ground. It fit perfectly. In a few seconds, a transparent green globe came up out of the ground and floated in front of us. Then a large triangle-shaped portal appeared at the edge of the cliff.

"The Lagoon Nebula…?" Jim looked into the portal.

"But that's…halfway across the galaxy," Silver muttered.

"A big door…opening and closing…" Jim muttered. He pushed a few buttons on the globe. Then he pushed the button for the Montressor Spaceport. "So that's how Flint did it!" He concluded. "He used this…portal to…roam the universe, stealing treasure!"

Silver shoved Jim out of the way, "But where'd he stash it all?" He started pressing random buttons. "Where's that blasted treasure?"

Ben started pulling at the wires that were hanging out of his head, "Treasure…treasure…it's…buried in the…"

"…Buried in the centroid of the mechanism," Jim muttered. I had no idea what he was talking about. Jim continued, "What if…the whole planet is the mechanism? Then the treasure is buried in the center of this planet!"

The crew immediately started digging into the ground, but it turned out to be just hard metal.

Silver angrily shouted, "And how in blue blazes are we supposed to get there?"

Jim gently nudged him out of the way and pushed the button for Treasure Planet. "Just open the right door."

The portal opened to reveal a bunch of metal lasers hanging out of a big metal structure. Taking my hand, Jim stepped through the portal. The rest of the pirates followed.

After about twenty feet, I stopped dead in my tracks, letting go of Jim's hand.

"The loot of a thousand worlds…" Silver mused.

It really was.

"Oh, my…" I started, but couldn't finish. Jim, smiling, looked out over the sea of gold and jewels. He reached back and took my hand, pulling me along with him. We walked over to an old, broken ship, where Jim helped me climb on. Then he stopped dead in _his_ tracks.

What I saw was a six-eyed skeleton sitting in a throne-like chair.

"Captain Flint?!" Jim said in surprise.

"In the flesh," Ben marveled, "Well, sort of, except for skin, organs, and everything that resembles flesh that's not there."

Jim was pulling out of its clenched fist. It looked like a piece of metal with wires sticking out of it. Then he attached it to the dangling wires at the back of Ben's head. Suddenly, Ben sprang to life and if he'd been given an electric shock.

"You know, Jimmy, I was thinking…I was just…think! It's all flooding back…all my memories!" He shouted joyfully. "Right up until Flint pulled my memory circuit so I could never tell anyone about his BOOBY TRAP!"

All of a sudden, I heard explosions. I looked up and saw some of the lasers blowing into pieces and being consumed by flames.

Ben was getting frantic, "Flint wanted to make sure that no one could ever steal his treasure, so he rigged this whole planet to blow…HIGHER THAN A KALIPSIAN KITE!"

Suddenly, one of the lasers detached from the ceiling and stabbed into the ground, creating a massive cavern into a boiling pit of lava.

"Run, Jimmy; run for your life!" shouted Ben. Jim turned to him,

"You go back and help the captain and Doc!" He crawled under the control panel and began fiddling with the wires. "If I'm not there in five minutes, leave without me!"

Ben refused, "I am not leaving my buddy Jim!" Then Jim gave him an evil glare. "Unless he looks at me like that; bye, Jim!" Ben ran off. Then Jim stood up and gently began to push me towards the rail.

"Lia, you go with him. You'll be safer."

I shouted, "No!" and began to struggle against him. Finally, he gave up. He pulled me towards him and held me to his chest. His head was resting right over mine, and mine was right over his heart.

He pressed his lips to my cheek. "I love you, Lia."

I whispered, "I love you, too, Jim."

Then he let go of me and got back to rewiring the ship. After he pressed once last button, it fired into life.

He excitedly grabbed the wheel, "Yes, Morph, Lia, we are so outta here!" He began steering.

Then we heard a thud at the back of the ship. I turned to see Silver walking towards us.

"Ah, Jimbo," he said. "Aren't you the seventh wonder of the universe?"

Jim grabbed a sword from the deck and pointed it at Silver, "Get…back!" He said severely.

Silver narrowed his eyes and took a few steps toward us. "I like ya, lad, but I've come too far to let you stand between me and my treasure."

Suddenly, a laser beam shot through the ship, knocking us over the railing and onto a slanting hunk of metal. I managed to hang on, but Jim slid off, falling across a pit of lava and grabbing onto another piece of metal sticking out of a metal cliff. "JIM, HANG ON!" I screamed. Silver reached out as far as he could, but he was trying to hold onto the ship at the same time.

"Reach for me, now!" he shouted. "Reach!"

"I can't!" Jim cried out. Then the metal piece broke and he fell. He caught onto another piece of metal and hung on for dear life. My eyes were flooding with tears. I was openly crying. I was going to lose Jim, the only boy I loved. He was going to fall. He was going to die. Suddenly, Silver let go of the ship, and caught Jim just as he was about to fall. Jim climbed onto the metal piece I was on. I caught him in a choking embrace and kissed his cheek. We looked passionately into each other's eyes, which let go of a few tears. Then I pulled him to his feet, and we all ran back to the portal.

The ship was there, waiting for us. We all climbed on as quickly as we could. Ben was shouting, "Hurry, people, we've got exactly two minutes and thirty-four seconds till planet's destruction!"

I was looking back at the exploding planet. We would never clear it in time. Jim seemed to sense what I was thinking. He shouted up at Amelia,

"We've gotta turn around! There's a portal back there; it can get us out of here!"

Delbert contradicted, "Pardon me, Jim, but doesn't that portal open onto a RAGING INFERNO?"

"Yes," Jim replied, ripping a broken piece of metal from one of the cannons, along with a small engine. "But I'm gonna change that! I'm gonna open a different door!"

"Captain, really, I just don't see how this is possible," said Delbert.

"Listen to the boy!" shouted Silver.

"One minute and twenty-nine seconds till planet's destruction!" shouted Ben.

I looked over to see Silver welding the engine to the piece of metal, to make a makeshift solar surfer.

"Now, no matter what happens, keep the ship heading straight for that portal!" Jim ordered.

"Fifty-eight seconds!" Ben shouted.

I ran up to Jim's side and grasped his hand. "Don't go," I said, barely louder than a whisper. My voice had caught in my throat.

Jim leaned down and gave me a quick kiss, then took off.

I sank to the deck. I had let Jim go. Then I heard Silver gasp. I jumped up just in time to see Jim falling. He couldn't get the engine to work. It was out of fuel. He was going to die. I was too shocked to cry. Then he flipped the surfer around and scraped it down along the metal wall. Suddenly, the engine exploded and he skyrocketed up towards the portal.

"Seven…six…five…four…THREE…TWO…"


	5. A Future

**Chapter Five: A Future**

Jim reached the globe. He pushed the button for the Montressor Spaceport. We burst through the portal, just as Treasure Planet exploded. I joined in the eruption of cheering and screaming. Jim had done it. He had saved us all. He kicked off from the surfer and jumped down onto the deck. I welcome him into a very tight hug. When he pulled back, he had a tearful smile on his face.

"Unorthodox, but ludicrously effective," said Amelia. "I'd be proud to recommend you to the Interstellar Academy. They could use a man like you."

"Just wait until your mother hears about this!" exclaimed Delbert. "Of course, we may downplay the life-threatening parts."

Ben came up to Jim, "Jimmy…that was…UNFORGETABLE! I know you don't like touching but…get ready for a hug, big guy, 'cause I've got to hug you!" He then pulled Jim into a hug. I turned on my heel and wandered off to the stern. Not too long after I had gotten there, I heard footsteps.

"Hey, what are you doing back here without me?" I turned around to see Jim's handsome face in an adorable pout. I stepped towards him and opened my arms. He closed the distance in one big step, took me by my waist, and lifted me right into the air. He spun me around a few times before lowering me down so that my arms were wrapped around his neck and he was still holding me around my waist.

I stroked his soft brown hair absentmindedly while staring into his eyes. I didn't know what to say.

Then his lips met mine. It was a quick kiss, but it was still sweet and caring.

- - - - - - -

The following morning, we had arrived back at Montressor Spaceport. It was my last day with Jim.

Before he had to go, we were in my cabin, alone. Most of the time we just talked while I sat on his lap and he had his arms around me, but sometimes our passion would get the better of us and we would start kissing.

Finally, Jim's name was called from above deck. I got off his lap and followed him up to the main deck. This really was it. This was goodbye.

I choked back a sob and jumped right into his arms. He cradled me gently, rocking me ever so slightly back and forth.

"Don't worry, Lia," he whispered softly into my ear. "We'll see each other again someday. I promise."

He stepped back a little, still holding me by my waist, with my arms still resting on his shoulders.

"Oh," he said, "I want you to have this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small locket. He opened it and pushed a button, and a holographic picture of us projected out of the center. I brought my hand to my lips in awe as he clipped it around my neck. I spent a good thirty seconds staring at the picture with tears in my eyes. Then I closed it and gave Jim another hug. His hands slid down my back, coming to rest at my waist. Then he stepped back.

"I love you," He said while staring into my eyes.

"I love you, too."

He leaned down and gave me a long, slow, tender kiss. Then, he was off the ship, running through the crowds.

- - - - - - -

It was almost two years later. I was going to see Jim again.

I stood in the upstairs hallways of the Benbow Inn and walked towards the stairs. Mrs. Hawkins had arranged for me to come and surprise Jim to celebrate his graduation from the Interstellar Academy. She had done my hair and picked out a dress for me. It was orange, with short flutter sleeves and a tiered skirt.

I stood at the top of the stairs and waited. I saw Mrs. Hawkins approach Jim, who was alone at the window while everyone else was dancing and enjoying the party. Then she turned him around so he was looking up at me. Then she walked back out into the crowd.

Jim looked shocked. I gave him a big smile and began to descend the stairs. Once I was at the bottom, I took slow steps towards him. Then I got faster. Eventually, I broke into a run, right into his outstretched arms.

It was a beautiful moment. I was back in the arms of the one I loved. His lips met mine is a heated, passionate kiss. His arms were tightly wrapped around my waist, pulling me in.

"I love you," he whispered in my ear.

It was the beginning of a dream…

…except it was real

**The End**


End file.
